Sensor-enabled system and method for monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of pavement and vehicular infrastructure

Abstract

A system for monitoring pavement infrastructure includes an edge network enabled sensor-enabled geogrid embedded within the pavement infrastructure, a microcontroller configured to receive signals from the sensor-enabled geogrid, and a communication network for transmitting the received signals from the microcontroller to a computer network. The sensor-enabled geogrid provides real-time data on the condition of the pavement, enabling efficient monitoring and maintenance. The microcontroller processes the signals from the geogrid, and the communication network facilitates the transmission of this data to a remote computer network for analysis and decision-making. This system enhances the ability to monitor pavement conditions, potentially improving maintenance strategies and extending the lifecycle of pavement infrastructure.

Therefore, the following is claimed: 
     
       1. A system for pavement infrastructure monitoring, comprising:
 a sensor enabled geogrid comprising at least a strain gauge, wherein the sensor enabled geogrid is placed within a pavement infrastructure; 
 a microcontroller equipped to receive signals from the sensor enabled geogrid; 
 a sensor pod configured to the sensor enabled geogrid, wherein the sensor pod contains the microcontroller; and 
 a communication network, wherein the communication network transmits the signals from the microcontroller to a computer network to process the signals with an infrastructure processing engine utilizing a feedback loop, wherein the signals comprise at least a base strain gauge measurement. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor enabled geogrid is a sensor enabled geofabric. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor enabled geogrid is placed above a subgrade layer in the pavement infrastructure. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sensor enabled geogrid placed in various substrate layers of the pavement infrastructure. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a gateway, wherein the gateway is configured to receive the signals from the sensor enabled geogrid. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer network is equipped for bidirectional communication with the sensor pod. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer network is further configured to a user interface. 
     
     
       8. A method for monitoring the condition of pavement infrastructure:
 installing in a pavement infrastructure a sensor enabled geogrid comprising at least a strain gauge; 
 integrating a sensor pod to the sensor enabled geogrid to receive signals from a plurality of sensors on the sensor enabled geogrid; 
 providing a communication network from the sensor enabled geogrid to the sensor pod and to a computing network; 
 acquiring signals by the computer network from the sensor enabled geogrid; and 
 processing the signals by the computer network with an infrastructure processing engine utilizing a feedback loop, wherein the signals comprise at least a base strain gauge measurement. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising bidirectional communication on the communication network. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein installing the sensor enabled geogrid places a strain gauge on a surface of the sensor enabled geogrid material to detect strain on the sensor enabled geogrid. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein installing the sensor enabled geogrid places a flex sensor on a surface of the geogrid material to detect flex on the sensor enabled geogrid. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , further processing in the feedback loop a base flex sensor measurement. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the infrastructure processing engine communicates with a plurality of sensor enabled geogrids. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising alerting, wherein alerting sends a notification to a user that the pavement infrastructure is experiencing a change in condition. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising detecting a concave bend, by the sensor enabled geogrid, indicating a washout condition within the pavement infrastructure at a subgrade layer. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising detecting a concave bend, by the sensor enabled geogrid, indicating a washout condition within the pavement infrastructure at a base course layer. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising detecting a concave bend, by the sensor enabled geogrid, indicating a washout condition within the pavement infrastructure at a binder course layer. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising providing a gateway device to the communication network, wherein the gateway device provides communication from the sensor pod to the computing network.